


First Meeting

by orphan_account



Series: be my pet [1]
Category: X1 (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pre-Relationship, pet seungyoun
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 04:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21817672
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Seungwoo, workaholic, decides to adopt a pet.
Relationships: (side), Cho Seungyeon | Seungyoun/Han Seungwoo, Kim Wooseok | Wooshin/Lee Jinhyuk
Series: be my pet [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1572082
Comments: 14
Kudos: 116





	First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for the sloppy world-building but here are some notes:
>
>> \- Hybrids can learn and understand human speech, but the extent of such is dependent on the individual.  
> \- They can even hold jobs and work in society, but since they’re rare, it’s not very common and they’re more often treated as pets. Hybrids abandoned at a young age get taken into “shelters” where they can be sold/adopted/trained.  
> \- There are no full transformations in this fic; they look like humans, just with cute ears and tails. They also age normally.  
> \- Seungyoun is slightly aged down and Seungwoo is aged up.  
> \- This series will get a lot more explicit. But I'll also be writing fluff! Each part will be rated accordingly and you can read whichever you're comfortable with as standalones.  
> 

Han Seungwoo. 27. CEO of a small but successful and growing business firm. Rich, handsome, and attractive. Sexy as hell and an attentive lover, if you had to ask his past partners. But also a certified workaholic. Some could say it was a strength, definitely, but it was currently the source of his headache. 

Others (Seungwoo) would argue that the source went by the name of Lee Jinhyuk, his CFO and best friend. 

“Come on, I know you're lonely. No one in their right mind works as much as you do,” Jinhyuk teases. 

He doesn't mention that all his past relationships failed because he worked so much, not that he worked so much because his relationships failed. Seungwoo doesn't think it would help his case. 

It's also not his fault that he never felt like he truly loved any of the people he dated. It was all good and fun, until it wasn't. Long nights at the office often created doubts, which caused riffs, and eventually, separation. In the end, Seungwoo never felt the need to make anyone stay. No sadness left behind, only emptiness. So he doesn't do relationships anymore.

As if Jinhyuk can read his mind, he says, “Just try it out. It'll be different from dating, and it’s also a lot of fun. It's not so unusual to have pet hybrids anymore.”

“I'll think about it.”

“Please. You really need to get laid.” Jinhyuk grins when Seungwoo scowls, standing and picking up the documents from their earlier meeting. “And Wooseokie would love to have a new friend to play with,” he continues, a glint in his eye.

Seungwoo swallows, idly looking out the window. He's not unfamiliar with the things some owners do with their pets, but he'll cross that line when he gets to it. If he gets to it.

Smirking, Jinhyuk knocks his knuckles on Seungwoo's desk in goodbye, the door swinging shut behind him as he leaves Seungwoo to his thoughts. 

In the end, all it takes is seeing Wooseok pick Jinhyuk up from the office to convince Seungwoo. The cat hybrid is dressed in a cropped puffer jacket, hovering by Jinhyuk's desk as he waits for Jinhyuk to finish up. Seungwoo sighs, glaring at the espresso machine to give him his dose of caffeine, foreseeing a long night of work. 

Jinhyuk laughs when he passes the breakroom and sees Seungwoo, happily shouting, “I'm heading out first! Don't stay too late!”

Seungwoo raises his head to say goodbye, watching as Jinhyuk holds the cat's arm and all but drags him to the elevator. Wooseok gives him a small smile before he's rushed around the corner, tail swinging behind him happily.

Seungwoo looks back down at his bitter coffee and thinks,  _ Must be nice. _

\---

When Seungwoo first steps into the building at the address Jinhyuk gave him, he almost makes a U-turn and walks right back out. The building itself looked like a normal (if not slightly run down) business from the outside; a concrete structure that was only 5 stories high, with solid metal doors instead of glass. It completely disarmed him to the sight inside. There’s gaudy life-size cutout posters of cat-boys and bunny-girls, or vice versa, in little to no clothing displayed right in the lobby, contrasting greatly with the otherwise completely white decor.

“Welcome to Produce X! How can I help you, sir?” 

Snapped out of his daze, he turns to the receptionist that greeted him. Putting on his business face, he tries to remember what Jinhyuk told him and replies, “Ah, I’m interested in getting a pet.”

“I would love to help you, sir. Is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”

“Male, of legal age.”

“Of course, just a moment. Someone will be here to guide you in a minute.”

Seungwoo smiles politely, and looks around the lobby while he waits.  _ Act like you know what you’re doing, _ Jinhyuk’s voice says in his head,  _ otherwise they’re going to take you on a run for your money. _ So many posters, pets in various poses. Maybe this wasn’t the best idea, after all.

Before he can second guess it more, someone clears their throat behind him. Seungwoo turns around to meet a tall man, dressed neatly in a white shirt tucked into dark pants.

“Hello! I’ll be helping you in your search for a new pet today. Can I get a name?”

“Han Seungwoo,” he answers, despite noting that the worker didn’t offer his own name. Now that he thinks about it, the receptionist didn’t have a name plaque either.

“Well, Mr. Han, please follow me. I’ll show you the collection of pets we have as we pass their rooms. Just let me know if you have any questions, or want to take a closer look.”

With that, the worker leads him down a short, narrow hallway before it opens up to a wider one, banked with rooms on both sides. At the other end is an elevator, but there’s at least 16 playrooms with large glass windows to the left and right of him. Seungwoo draws in a deep breath when he looks to the room on the right and sees a boy with puppy ears napping, completely naked save for a pair of sheer white panties.

The worker glances back at him and recites, “Byungchan, 18, a collie mix that we’ve been training for a long time. He likes naps, obviously, but is really energetic too.”

Seungwoo nods numbly at the information, and continues walking. The rest of the time goes by in a similar fashion: Seungwoo looking around in mixed amazement and horror as the worker tells him names and details about some of the hybrids. 

A few of them look at Seungwoo curiously as he walks by, and others even bounce happily to the window to greet him. Still, Seungwoo passes by two more floors, gradually growing more hopeless. Maybe he was destined to be single and lonely, forever. No one would find him after he literally buried himself with work. A tragedy, really. The worker continued on, oblivious to his plight, providing endless commentary that Seungwoo filtered out.

It’s not until they’re at the end of the hall, about to ride the elevator to the fourth floor, that a flash of gold catches his eye. He steps closer without thinking, peering into a room on his left that he thought was empty. 

Immediately his eyes are drawn to the far right corner, where a slim male is curled up, arms wrapped around his bony knees. His pale skin blends in easily with the white walls, but his hair is black as night; a pretty contrast that only makes his fluffy orange-red ears stand out more. The ears belong to a fox, but his eyes slightly resemble a cat’s, warm brown catching gold in the light. He quickly looks away when he sees Seungwoo staring, hiding half of his face in his arms and turning his head to the side. His ears stay alert though, twitching in the air.

_ Cute, _ Seungwoo thinks dumbly.

“Who’s that?” he asks before he can stop himself. It’s the first inquiry he’s had all day.

“Oh, Seungyoun? He’s a wirehair cat and fox mix. He’s probably our oldest pet at 20.”

_ 20 is old? But I’m 7 years older than him. _

“He’s popular because his breed is such a rare mix, but he always gets returned. I don’t know why all his previous owners say he’s hard to train; he’s never given us any trouble, though he does tend to keep to himself.” The worker hums to himself, and continues with a leer, “Not that we mind keeping him either, despite the fact that he’s almost past adopting age. He’s quite a pretty thing to train.”

Seungwoo forces at smile at the comment, and watches as the hybrid cowers impossibly closer to the wall, like he can hear them.

“Do you think I could take a more detailed look at him?”

“Sure, but we have plenty of other pets too that might interest you. The younger ones especially can be very loving, if you know what I mean, and you’d be their first owner.”

“I can decide that for myself,” Seungwoo says with a slight edge to his voice. He should’ve expected more of this when he came here, but it still makes his stomach roll, how carelessly the worker talks about the hybrids like they’re disposable. It’s not like he can say he’s much better anyway; he’s the one here in the first place.

The worker must sense his mood, because he quickly unlocks the door’s keypad without another word. The door swings open easily and Seungwoo steps inside the bright room, the worker close behind him. The room isn’t that big at all; Seungwoo could cross it in four long strides. Seungyoun’s head is raised now, watching him as he stands in the middle of the room, eyes wide. Before Seungwoo can crouch down to get to eye level, the worker snaps his fingers and points at Seungwoo’s feet.

Transfixed, he watches as the male unravels himself before crawling  _ (crawling, _ his mind screams) the short distance to kneel on his heels in front of Seungwoo, hands curled into fists on his thighs.

The rooms are kept a lot warmer than they look, probably because of the lack of clothes provided. Seungyoun is no different in that regard, smooth skin laid bare. His tail is the same pretty orange-red as his ears, with a small section of pure white at the end, where it peeks out over the waistband of his lace panties.

Despite the high temperature, Seungwoo can tell that Seungyoun’s trembling in front of him. The young hybrid has his head bowed, shoulders drawn tight. Seungwoo doesn’t want to touch him without permission, but he also wants to soothe the boy. With that thought, he runs his long fingers through the other’s silky black hair, stopping at the base of his neck and stroking there.

Seungyoun shivers beneath his touch, before leaning into it slightly. Smiling, Seungwoo does crouch in front of him this time.

A flash of gold as Seungyoun’s eyes meet his again.

“Come home with me,” Seungwoo says.

_ Let me take care of you, _ Seungwoo thinks.

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
